News Feature | August 25, 2014

Race Is On To Fix Leaks In Small Ohio Village

The tiny village of Spencerville, OH, is in a hurry to fix leaky pipes before a new water treatment facility goes online.

That's because the price of fixing leaks will rise significantly after the plant is finished.

Right now, fixing a water line leak costs about $1,500 per repair, according to Village Administrator Sean Chapman, per theDelphos Herald.

“Repairing a leak after the water treatment plant is online will cost upwards of $2,500-$3,000," Chapman said.

The latest total for water line leaks is up to 42, according to Chapman, who stressed the need for swift action.

“It’s clear I need to do something new and we must focus on our critical infrastructure in the near future,” he said in the report.

Fixing leaks may save the village water—and money—over time.

"Chapman said since repairing all the leaks that have gone undetected, the village uses 130,00-150,000 gallons of water per day as compared to the 250,000-300,000 before finding and repairing the leaks," the report said.

Spencerville is in the process of putting a new water treatment plant online.

As of July, "the building exterior has been completed and all of the water treatment plant components are on site. The six sand filters and the membrane train are in the process of being plumbed in and the electrical work to energize all of the components has begun," the village reported.

Spencerville is not the only Ohio municipality in dire need of water infrastructure upgrades.

"Ohio has reported $12.6 billion in drinking water infrastructure needs over the next 20 years," according to the American Society of Civil Engineers.